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Excellent stadium and facilities

I'm going through a bit of a phase reviewing all the grounds I've been to over the last 20 years of watching Grimsby Town, I've done Grimsby, Sheff United and Barnsely so far but thought I'd give a review on a new stadium.

I've actually been to both stadiums in Bolton, I went to the old Burnden park in 1990 to watch a fairly turgid 0-0 draw between the teams. The old ground was well to be honest old and needed a lot of updating. Anyway moving onto the new stadium and I returned in 2001 to watch a very entertaining 2-2 which we led then fell behind before equalising late on. It makes me sad to think that only 10 years ago we were giving a now established premiership team a decent game of football at their own ground, now we are heading for the conference and probably oblivion - sob.

The new ground is well to be fair new, its very futuristic looking with its open structure and thick beams supporting the stands. The old ground was well classic old school, low roofs on the stand right next to the pitch, holes in the concrete and roof and a feeling of needing a bit of TLC.

Not the new, I think its the most visually impressive ground I've been to (I've not been to the new Wembley or the Emirates), it dominates the surrounding area and you are in no doubt that this is a stadium built for the clubs future.

The ground is a strange one in some ways because it has four seperate stands with the corners filled with video screens, one of the pluses of building a new stadium is that the ad hoc nature of the old grounds goes away so the stands are the same, the entrances are the same, the views are the same. This is of course a plus and a minus, some of us love the old grounds with their queer architecture and odd angled views but the concept of being able to sit in comfort and watch an unimpeeded view is I think worth losing the nostalgia.

The Reebok is a superb new stadium, it does feels a little like Huddersfields MacAlpine but thats just a consequence of being built at around the same time. The corporate facilities are of course well catered for and the catering for the fans is fine as you'd expect in a modern stadium.

Quibbles

Well it only holds 28000 so is one of the smaller grounds in the premiership but I'm guessing they only sell out for the big games with united and liverpool. Also it is out of town so the chance to have a drink in the town centre is much more difficult, it also waters down the atmosphere before the game a little. However, it makes getting there a lot easier.

The name as well I guess, Reebok is a bit dull, corporate and bland but it seems to be the way grounds are going at the moment with the Emirates, MacAlpine and Britannia. Shame they couldn't have called it after one of their famous ex-players or manager.

So inconclusion this is a very modern feeling stadium with superb views of the pitch but perhaps a little impersonal for some fans.

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Well worth a visit

Although I am not a Bolton supporter, I have visited both the old stadium and this, their new one, and even a traditionalist such as myself could not possibly argue that the Burnden Park experience was anywhere near as good as that to be had at the Reebok Stadium!

Of course it is a shame that space could not be found to build the ground and the surrounding infrastructure nearer the centre of Bolton, and it does not feel at all like the pilar of the local community which no doubt its predecessor was able to offer simply by its location. However the modern football fan who often wants to do a bit of shopping, maybe make a weekend of it and stay cheaply nearby, take in a film after the game on a Saturday night etc, has all this at their fingertips, as long as you bring some gloves if you are visiting between October and March and wish still to have your finger tips free of frostbite when you return home!

Once you have found your destination (not a difficult task, given its location just off the M61), the shopping is catered for by a retail park with all the usual favourites, and there are two Premier Inns nearby, one literally opposite the stadium. There is even an Asda if you need to do your shopping!

However hopefully your principal reason for heading to the area is to watch some football, and again you cannot really argue with what is on offer, although many Bolton fans might have quibbled with that statement in the days of recently departed manager Gary Megson! The tickets are priced sensibly, bearing in mind the competition for fans in the north west, although obviosuly they rise when the Big Four come to town. The sight lines are excellent througout, and when there is a full house the place certainly generates some atmosphere. If one reluctant accepts that grounds with 'character' (often a synonym for discomfort and shabbiness) are on their way out, then this is an above average effort at embracing the new order. Definitely worth a visit.

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Great stadium for a great team

The state of the art Reebok Stadium is home to Bolton Wanderers football club in the English Premiership. The club moved to the all-seater Reebok Stadium on the outskirts of Bolton in 1997 from Burnden Park in Bolton town centre which was a controvertial move amongst fans but has turned out to be a success. The stadium has a capacity of approximately 28,000 fans although recent attendences have been much lower, around 22,000 average. The stadium is impressive to look at and is located just off Junction 6 of the M61 and can be accessed with a 2 minute walk from Horwich Parkway train station so the location could not be better. It is located next to Tesco and the Middlebrook Retail Park which is a pretty standard retail park including Asda. Pubs for fans in the area include Scotts Bar near the train station and the Beehive Pub which is a 10 minute walk away. In terms of football, the stadium offers grest unrestricted views from all seats although I would recommend the lower tier as it is cheaper, the astmosphere is usually better there and you get much closer to the action. The stadium offers great facilities such as a hotel (De Vere Whites), function rooms (including the location for boxing matches and darts tournaments) and a club shop (located next to the stadium). Tickets to watch the football can be bought for generally £18-£35 depending on who is playing - the cost increases for the visit of larger teams. The downside of the Reebok Stadium is that the atmosphere can sometimes be poor compared to the old stadium at Burnden Park which had traditional terraces. Apart from that, the Reebok is well worth a visit to watch a game in the new season.

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good modern football stadium

The Reebok Stadium is the home of The Barlcays Premiership football team Bolton Wanderers Football Club and was first used in the 1997/98 season, it is situated next to Middlebrook retail park in Horwich. The stadium is an 28,723 all seater with 4 stands (both with upper and lower tiers) one of which is named after the Wanderers' great Nat Lofthouse. Its quite an improvement on their previous home, Burnden Park, to say the least and boasts some of the best facilities in the country including a fan-zone where you can enjoy food and drink before the game (this has only just been introduced this season), 2 large car parks (both priced at around £5/£6) and several pubs/resturants within walking distance, although the 2 closest to the ground are for home fans only. Access to the ground on match day is fairly easy due to the location, just next to Junction 6 on the M61 and also a train station (horwich parkway) situated within a couple of minute walk, trains from Manchester Victoria Station. Prices this season range from £15-£35 for home fans (adult) and i beleive upto £38 for away fans depending on the catergory of fixture, Children and concessions are considerably cheaper. Anyone visiting The Reebok should expect to have a good day out.

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well worth a visit

The Reebok Stadium is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers who play their football in the English Premier League. The stadium opened in 1997 and was a direct replacement for their old Burnden Park ground. It's an extremely modern looking arena and has a capacity of 28,723, not actually that large for a Premier League stadium; I think they should have made it bigger personally. Unfortunately, the move to the Reebok Stadium initially was quite unpopular with a number of the Bolton fans who felt a strong attachment to their old stadium and didn't like the fact the club was moving 'out of town' as many new stadiums are these days. These fans have gradually been won over though as you cannot help but admit that The Reebok Stadium is a fantastic sporting venue.

The stadium is like no other really, although made up of four individual stands, the ground is fully enclosed and the corners have been filled in with large video screens. All stands are the same design, but obviously the two behind the goals are smaller versions of the touchline ones. The design is similar to that of Huddersfield Town's stadium, but on a larger scale. The lower tiers are the standard rectangular shape, but the upper tiers are semi-circular, giving it a really interesting look. Above each stand there is a mass of white painted metalwork which can be seen from miles around. It truly is a great looking ground, but as I said earlier I just wish they had made it bigger.

This is one of the best grounds in the country for away supporters I feel. You are housed in the South Stand behind the goal and there is room for up to 5000 supporters, a considerable allocation. The upper tier is for away fans completely, while some of the lower tier is shared with the home supporters. The view of the pitch and leg room of seating is more than adequate, which is not always the case when travelling away from home. I was very impressed with the stadium and will definitely return if the opportunity ever arises again.

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The Reebok Stadium, home of Bolton Wanderers, is a vast improvement on the old Burnden Park. Primarily, there are once more four sides to the ground! The first thing that impressed me was the easy access from the motorway and the plentiful parking for visiting supporters. This is something of a rarity I find these days. The cost of the parking is £5 but for peace of mind it is well worth paying to know your car is being watched over. Admission was £20 for an adult and £15 for pensioners and children. In these days of prohibitive prices, this is quite reasonable. Going into the stadium, the turnstile operators were efficient and friendly. The concourse was roomy and offered the usual facilities of refreshments (including alcohol), toilets and programme sellers (£2 for a well presented programme). Instead of being seated tucked away in a corner with a poor view we were positioned just to one side of the goal. The seat offered a good view and also plenty of leg room. The stewards within the stadium were pleasant and helpful. None of the gestapo training that you find in some grounds. The atmosphere within the stadium was comparable with any of the new stadium that I have visited. My only gripe was the result! For those of you with money to burn, there is also the hotel offering rooms with views of the pitch. For the less abled bodied people there was easy access for wheelchair users - for both home and away fans.

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The Reebok Stadium is the home stadium of English Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers, and is located on the Middlebrook retail park in Horwich, near Bolton. It is commonly known as 'The Reebok'.